18th March History – Bus, Star & Rowlatt Act
Know the history of the 18th March. We bring to our readers the most significant events which changed the history. This day saw a revolution in transportation system at the same time saw the implementation of the infamous Rowlatt Act.
Hello, I am time. I have witnessed it all. Be the creation or be the distraction. So today I bring to you the history of 18th March. But before that join me in wishing a very happy birthday to the fascinating actress, director, and theater artist Ratna Pathak. Also a very happy birthday to charming Alisha Chinai who ruled Indian pop music during her time. Also, let’s pay our respect to sensational Shashi Kapoor on his birth anniversary.
Now let us talk about the history of 18th March. It is a day that saw a new era in the transportation industry. It is also a day of rediscovery of global cluster M92. On the other side, this day is the day when the Rowlatt Act was implemented in India.
Bus ride – beginning of a new era
18th March 1662, the first public bus service began in Paris, France. The service was promoted by Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher. The buses were known as “Carosses a Cinq Sous,” which means “carriages for five cents,” and they were initially horse-drawn.
The service was initially limited to a single route, but it quickly expanded to cover several areas of the city. The buses were a significant improvement over the existing transportation options, which were limited to private carriages and hired coaches.
The “Carosses a Cinq Sous” service continued to operate until 1675 when it was shut down due to financial difficulties. However, the service paved the way for the development of public transportation in Paris and other cities around the world. Today, buses are a common mode of transportation in cities worldwide, providing a convenient and affordable way to get around.
Starry Starry Nights
18th March 1781, the French astronomer Charles Messier rediscovered the global cluster M92 while observing the night sky. Messier was a renowned comet hunter, but he also had a great interest in star clusters and nebulae. He compiled a list of celestial objects that were often mistaken for comets, which became known as the Messier catalog.
M92 is a globular cluster located in the constellation Hercules, approximately 26,700 light-years away from Earth. It contains hundreds of thousands of stars that are tightly packed together, forming a spherical shape. M92 is one of the oldest known globular clusters, estimated to be about 14 billion years old, almost as old as the universe itself.
Messier’s rediscovery of M92 added to his catalog of non-cometary objects, and it remains one of the brightest and most easily observable globular clusters in the night sky. It has since been studied extensively by astronomers, providing insights into the structure and evolution of globular clusters, and contributing to our understanding of the history of the universe.
The Rowlatt Act
The Rowlatt Act was a law enacted by the British colonial government in India on March 18, 1919, in response to growing nationalist agitation. The act empowered the government to arrest and imprison anyone suspected of terrorism or political agitation without trial, and to detain them for up to two years without charges. It also restricted civil liberties, such as freedom of speech and assembly.
The Rowlatt Act provoked widespread outrage and protest in India. Gandhi called for a nationwide strike on April 6, 1919, in protest of the act. This led to a series of demonstrations and clashes with the police and British authorities, culminating in the infamous Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar on April 13, 1919, in which British troops opened fire on a peaceful gathering of unarmed protesters, killing over 400 people.
The Rowlatt Act and its aftermath further galvanized the Indian independence movement and intensified demands for self-rule and an end to British colonialism in India. The act was eventually repealed in 1922, but its legacy continued to shape Indian politics and society for decades to come.
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